Warwick Davis

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The most successful little person actor in the history of film, Warwick Davis enjoyed an amazing career in the fantasy genre. The 11-year-old's featured role in "Return of the Jedi" (1983) as Wicket the Ewok led not only to him reprising the character for several children's TV movies, but also work in "Labyrinth" (1986) and a starring role without extensive make-up or costumes in "Willow" (1988). Associations with two very different but successful franchises would ensure Davis's income and status as a working actor: the titular gleefully evil "Leprechaun" (1993) and all its straight-to-video sequels, as well as Hogwarts professor Filius Flitwick in every big-budget installment of the "Harry Potter" series. Proving he had considerable comedic chops on the Ricky Gervais hit series "Extras" (BBC Two, 2005-07) led the esteemed comedian to write the BBC comedy pilot "Life's Too Short" for Davis in 2010, the same year the actor published his autobiography. Although he achieved most of his success in fantasy and genre projects, Davis managed to maintain his dignity as well as bringing enormous enthusiasm and likeability to every character he embodied.Born Feb. 3, 1970 in Surrey, England, Warwick Ashley Davis suffered from a rare genetic condition called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenital (SED) which caused his dwarfism. He was attending the City of London Freemen's School when his grandmother heard an advertisement on the radio calling for people under four feet tall to appear in the final installment of the "Star Wars" trilogy at that time, "Return of the Jedi" (1983). A huge fan of the franchise, the two-feet, 11-inch-tall 11-year-old successfully auditioned, earning an extra role as an unnamed Ewok. When R2-D2 actor Kenny Baker, who was originally slotted to play Wicket, the lead Ewok, fell ill, Davis was given the part by George Lucas. Charming his fellow castmates - particularly Carrie Fisher - and impressing the filmmakers with his dedication, Davis was a driving force in the popularity of his character, even though some fans disliked the Ewoks on principle. The young actor even teamed up with the film's first assistant director, David Tomblin, to make a short film, "Return of the Ewok," about his experiences. The obscurity of the unreleased, unfinished film would add to its mystique with hardcore "Star Wars" fans.The Force was with "Jedi" at the box office, and its worldwide success as well as the popularity of the Ewoks with younger fans allowed Davis to reprise Wicket in two television movies, "The Ewok Adventure" (ABC, 1984) and "Ewoks: The Battle for Endor" (ABC, 1985), but the projects appealed to few viewers past puberty. Davis played a goblin in the Jennifer Connelly/David Bowie fantasy "Labyrinth" (1986), but as with "Jedi," his extensive costume hid his features. That would change with his next film, which was written expressly for him to star without make-up or effects: "Willow" (1988). Standing three-foot, six-inches at full growth, Davis starred as the titular would-be sorcerer who is tasked with protecting a baby from an evil sorceress. Co-starring Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley, directed by Ron Howard and co-written/produced by George Lucas, the film boasted impressive special effects for the time as well as the revolutionary idea of casting a little person as the lead. Although "Willow" received a star-studded roll-out - including a royal premiere attended by Prince Charles and Princess Diana - critics and audiences failed to fall under its spell. Still, the movie earned two Oscar nominations and an impressive afterlife as a cult favorite and touchstone of a certain generation. Only 17 when the movie was filmed, Davis made the most of the experience, earning a Saturn Award nomination for his role as well as meeting his future wife, Samantha Davis, who was one of the extras in Willow's village. The two married in 1991. Sadly, their first son died shortly after his Sept. 1991 birth, but they would eventually h